Crews begin razing massive Detroit housing project

DETROIT (AP) — City and federal officials are making good on promises to raze a vacant Detroit housing project once home to the Supremes before the trio became vital voices of “the Motown sound.”

Mayor Dave Bing and Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan on Wednesday announced the first stage of demolishing the Frederick Douglass Homes. The graffiti-covered complex comprising several city blocks is better known as the Brewster projects.

Bing announced the plans last year. A $6.5 million federal grant covers the initial phase of demolition and cleanup.

Bing has acknowledged the Brewster’s lore as the proving grounds for Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson before joining Motown Records a half-century ago. But he says the haven for crime on the edge of downtown is an “eyesore.”

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